Kashmir Digits

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has drawn the ire of BJP as he addressed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, his friend since cricket days, as his “elder brother” after his pilgrimage at the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on Saturday.

As the Kartarpur Sahib corridor reopened after a 20-month gap due to Covid-19, Pakistan PM Imran Khan government praised Sidhu for his role in opening the route to the Sikh pilgrimage between the two countries.

A reference to Sidhu was made on the kartarpurcorridor.com website which said that idea of the corridor was shared by Khan with Sidhu.

he urged the Indian government to open its borders with Pakistan for trade at a time India is battling continued threats to national security from the other side of the Line of Control.

“I request that if you want to change Punjab’s life, we should open the borders (for cross-border trade). Why should we go through Mundra Port, a total of 2,100 kms? Why not from here, where it’s only 21 kms (to Pakistan),” the cricketer-turned-politician told reporters in Gurdaspur.

“With the efforts of PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan, this has been made possible,” Sidhu said.

Sidhu’s speech in Pakistan has drawn the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ire as the latter slammed the cricketer-turned-politician for referring Pakistan PM as his “bada bhai (elder brother in Hindi)”.

Taking to Twitter, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya, said, “Rahul Gandhi’s favourite Navjot Singh Sidhu calls Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan his “bada bhai”. Last time he had hugged Gen Bajwa, Pakistan Army’s Chief, heaped praises. Is it any surprise that the Gandhi siblings chose a Pakistan loving Sidhu over veteran Amarinder Singh?”

Hitting out at the Congress over Sidhu’s speech, Sambit Patra said, “Punjab deserves better than Sidhu.

He went to Pakistan, praised PM Imran Khan and called him ‘elder brother’. This is serious and a matter of concern for India and its people. Border state leadership must show some seriousness and they must think before they speak. In the past, Sidhu had hugged Pak Army chief also. It’s the Congress’ pattern.”

Sidhu was left out from the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi-led ‘jatha’ that visited the Gurdwara on its reopening day on November 18.

On Thursday, had shared a video, recalling his visits to Pakistan, including the shrine, he had uploaded over an hour-long visual, comprising several clippings of his visits to various places in the neighbouring country. He named it “The Kartarpur Story”.

The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district. Gurpurab, which marks the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, will be celebrated on November 19.